I baked my first sourdough bread...
9 days old starter
Used this recipe in grams
250 All purpose flour
160 water
50 starter (levain 1:4:4 @ peak)
5 salt.
30 minute hour autolyse
3 stretch and fold , 1 coil fold ( in 30 minutes gap)
Total 4.5 hour bulk proof in indoor temp 22-24°c (it's hot where I live so AC is on almost all time) - only rose 40-50%
Then overnight in the fridge in a bowl with flour dusted kitchen towel covered with cling wrap
Next morning, took it out , scouring done and baked in a preheated (250c ) cast iron pan with a steel lid for 20 minutes covered and 20 mins without a lid.
Since it was my first bake i did not have a Banneton or a Dutch oven.. and we don't get bread flour easily here, so I used all purpose flour.
It was all crackling on top.. but it's not soft inside.. it's firm..
Taste is good on toasting, but very chewy.. and tough to cut the slice before toasting.
Please help me with,
Where did I go wrong?
What can I improve?